


One More Bite

by DeeMoonSeo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Child!Haechan, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied Luwoo, Implied dojae, Lots of Food, M/M, Mild Angst, Not Beta Read, Sexy Times, Sooo much food, Time Jump, but not explicit sexy times, first fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 02:34:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16823410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeMoonSeo/pseuds/DeeMoonSeo
Summary: Taeil tapped one of the chopsticks against his dewy glass. “Friday, though. Friday I have no classes, no plans...I’m free all day.”Youngho gave a smile of his own. Just as slow. Just as automatic. “Even better. Less waiting.”“Youngho.”He laughed. “See,that’swhat I’m talking about. That’s home.”[Or, Seven Times Youngho and Taeil Shared Food and One Time They Simply Couldn't]





	One More Bite

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fic, and it was inspired by very cute conversation between the incomparable AgentExile and a friend. I hope you enjoy it! Please don't hesitate to comment, and you can also follow me on Twitter @DeeMoonSeo .
> 
> Bye!

They reached for the sandwich in the dining hall cooler at the same time.

Or, at least, that's what Taeil assumes. After all, he can’t be totally sure. He was too busy rummaging through his messenger bag when he attempted to blindly claim the steak sandwich he'd mentally pegged as his. That's when his fingers collided with warm flesh on top of cold cellophane.

“Oh! Shit, sorry.”

Taeil looked up to link eyes with a man he just knew was tall - his hunched over frame helped to level them both, even as Taeil subconsciously straightened his posture. The man’s impossibly handsome features where fixed in an expression that betrayed a comforting mix of apologetic and laid back, like missing out on the last steak sandwich wouldn’t totally annihilate his day. Though he wished he could say the same, Taeil knew that him relinquishing his favorite lunch after oversleeping, missing the campus bus that morning and running late for his class (which didn’t go unnoticed by his professor) might just send him over the proverbial edge.

Still, there was something about Tall & Handsome’s kind eyes that made him consider simply skipping lunch altogether, if that would somehow make him happy.

“No, it’s...it’s cool,” Taeil said unconvincingly. He began to retract his hand when the stranger quickly moved onto a container of a rather colorful, ornate salad.

“Actually, you’re kind of doing me a solid,” he said casually as he picked up the lidded lunch and stood tall with a quick adjustment of the backpack strap on his shoulder. Just as Taeil expected, the guy towered over him by at least five inches. His height should have been intimidating. Instead, it married with his cool kindness quite nicely, making him all too intriguing. “I don’t think I’ve had a real vegetable in a week. I could use the greens, to be honest.”

With a nervous laugh, Taeil responded, “Well, I’m happy to help, I guess?”

His new friend laughed in a way that only just surpassed polite, like he was genuinely tickled by Taeil’s confusion. _Wow_ , he thought. _I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone_ actually _glow while laughing before._ Taeil scrambled to think of something else to say in hopes that he might earn another positive response, but he blanked as he mindlessly grabbed the sandwich in question, which was growing less and less important by the second.

They reached the register where the stranger handed over his meal card just before pushing back his floppy auburn hair from his face. His profile really accentuated the immaculate shape of his lips, and the fluorescent lights provided the perfect halo for his shiny head of thick hair. Taeil was just desperate enough to ask him for his hair care routine when the beautiful stranger turned his head and tossed him a quick “see ya” before merging with the rest of the lunch crowd. It was hard not to feel bowled over by the sudden loss of his kind demeanor as he quietly paid for his meal.

Weirdly despondent, Taeil journeyed to his usual spot in the corner of the union lunch hall, which included a circle of plushy arm chairs near an adjacent wall of vending machines. After only two steps in that direction he found himself rooted where he stood. Just next to the window sat his lunch line buddy at a too-small-for-him table for two, fishing out a book from his bag. A part of Taeil wanted to about-face and spare himself further embarrassment. Instead, his legs move almost of their own accord, taking him to the table sans plan.

Upon arrival, the man looked upward with only the barest hint of a surprise.

“There’s no way I’m finishing this sandwich.”

Furrowing his eyebrows, the stranger replied, “Uhhh...bummer?”

“No, I mean…” Taeil paused to let out a brief nervous giggle before continuing. “Usually what happens is, I eat half of the sandwich now and depending on how my day goes, I’ll either remember to have the other half at home or, on a shitty day, I’ll crash and totally forget that it exists until the next day when my bag reeks of steak.”

The man nodded slowly, taking in the sudden onslaught of personal information from a man he’d just met. “And what kind of day are you having?”

“My bag doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Gross,” he replied, though he appeared sympathetic. “And I’m talking about both your day and your bag. I’m sorry.”

Taeil nodded, already feeling his spirits lift at the thought of this particular stranger actually caring about his day. Before he could say anything else, the man continued.

“You know, it’s funny you said something because I was just thinking about how hard of a time I was going to have finishing this huge salad by myself.”

Taeil glanced at the container. It was rather big, but something told him that the man in front of him would have no problem at all tucking the entire salad away in a few bites.

“No, you didn’t,” Taeil replied, calling the other on his bluff. His gall earned him another laugh, one even more luminous than the first.

“Okay, no, I didn’t,” he conceded. “But I’d still like to share. Half of your sandwich for half of my salad?”

Before Taiel could respond, his new lunchtime buddy used one of his long legs to push the chair opposite him from under the table. He gestured at the newly freed seat. “C’mon, have lunch with me.”

It was too sweet of an offer to resist, so Taeil sat after only a second of feigned hesitation. As he settled, Taeil careful tore the cellophane from the sandwich while the other removed the lid from the salad and immediately began shoveling half of it onto the lid like a makeshift plate. Taeil split the sandwich and placed a half next to each bed of salad. He shoved the main container slowly across the table.

“I’m Taeil, by the way,” he introduced with a low voice.

“Youngho,” the man revealed with an outstretched hand, which Taeil accepted in a firm shake. He immediately noted the dichotomy of Youngho’s confident grip and his ridiculously soft skin. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

* * *

“Taeil!”

He turned to find Youngho leisurely strolling in his direction. It was the first time all week that they had managed to cross paths after class. In the instances when their exits were perfectly timed, they would head to the union together for lunch. Split sandwiches with makeshift side salads quickly became an unspoken tradition within their budding, months-long friendship.

“Youngho!” Taeil greeted with a half smile. “How was class?”

“Eh, pretty unremarkable. How’d your test go?”

Taeil had totally forgotten even mentioning an Economics test last week. Youngho’s casual recollection always caught him by surprise. “Oh! Um, I think I did okay? I did far less guessing on this one than the last one, at least.”

“Nice!” Typically they would traverse the diagonal path that led to the food court, but as Taeil stepped towards the cobbled walkway, Youngho remained forward, heading in a perpendicular direction towards a neighboring parking garage. Taeil stopped in his tracks and pointed helplessly towards the bustling union square.

“Uhhh, Youngho?”

Realizing Taeil’s confusion, Youngho answered his tacit question. “My 2 o’clock class was cancelled, so I’m actually done for the afternoon - meaning I can actually get decent hot pot for lunch.”

“There’s like, three hot pot places at the food court,” Taeil reminded him, silently hoping that he didn’t sound too desperate. He only just realized how much their sporadic lunches meant to him. His attraction to Youngho didn’t stop at his looks; it also fed on how he didn’t shy away from eye contact when Taeil shared what he learned in is Psychology class, and they way he teased without ever crossing over into “mean” territory. Youngho had a way of casually gifting nuggets of encouragement that made all the difference to Taeil, and he did so in between sips of his coffee without any effort at all. It was Youngho’s innate thoughtfulness and proclivity to friendship that made their time special, even though they’d only just met two months prior.

So lunch with Youngho was important. It reminded him that the world was still inherently good, and that he deserved nice things, like a decent sandwich and a quality friend.

But he figured that he was out of luck as Youngho resolutely shook his head and inched further into the direction opposite of the food court. “No, campus has _versions_ of hot pot. But if you want the definitive thing, you go to the place just around the corner from the music building. The spot next to the bookstore? Have you not been?”

Taeil shook his head, to which Youngho balked. “There’s no way you’ve been a student here for three years and not tried Suho’s.”

Taeil laughed nervously. “I haven’t, sorry.”

“Oh, we’ve gotta fix that.” Youngho nodded towards the general direction of the garage. “Come on, let’s go.”

The invitation, like so much of his friendship with Youngho, came as a surprise to Taeil. Blinking, he bumbled, “Uh, I mean...I’m cool with the union, like...I’m not trying to encroach on your one free afternoon -”

“So you’re going to skip out on the best meal of your life for the sake of being polite?”

“I’m _fine_ with my steak sandwich.”

“Do something _different_ , Taeil.”

Taeil scoffed, despite him finding Youngho’s rare whine rather adorable. “I do plenty of different things, all the time.”

“Okay, so do something different with _me_. C’mon, you won’t regret it.”

His next class wasn’t until 3:15. The risk was little. The reward was great.

“Okay. But it better be amazing.”

***

“Please stop staring.”

“No way, I have to see you take your first bite. That’s the best part.”

Taeil wanted to argue, but it was hard when Youngho’s eyes lit up with the excitement of a child, like his very happiness rested on his enjoyment. Still, he playfully rolled his eyes before dipping his chopsticks into the piping hot broth. He clamped on a sliver of beef, attempted to cool it down with a cautionary blow, dipped it into the small bowl of sesame sauce and then popped it into his mouth. The salt of the meat merged so well with the chili oil and sesame flavor that he literally wanted to sing.

Okay. This was absolutely better than a cold union sandwich in a corner seat.

“Mmmm,” Taeil moaned satisfactorily, which caused Youngho to sit back in his chair with a smug sense of accomplishment. “Alright.This is amazing.”

“See?” Youngho finally picked up his own small bowls and started layering the oils and herbs. “I’ll never lead you astray.”

“I can’t believe I've never come here,” Taeil marveled as he grabbed a slightly mushy sliced potato.

Youngho gently stirred the contents of his bowl. “Me neither. I thought everyone came here. This place is usually pretty packed, I didn’t expect to eat this quickly. Timing’s on our side today.”

Taeil agreed. Had he remained in his seat in Economics class a second longer, he would have missed Youngho entirely. He’d be eating lunch alone right now.

“I guess that’s the downside of never really being on this side of campus,” Taeil hypothesized. “I suspect I’m missing out on a few things.”

“That’s fair,” Youngho said with a nod, just before ushering a tangle of noodles into his mouth. After a few chews he added, “Us music majors lucked out between Suho’s and the strip.”

Taeil silently agreed. The strip of bars just a short walk away from the choir practice rooms were one of the most popular post-exam hangouts. The last time he partied there Yuta had to give him a piggyback ride all the way to his apartment.

“Yeah, us business majors only have the benefit of being near the parking garages, which means nothing if the garage is full or you don’t drive. If I'd known about this place, I might’ve stayed in choir.”

Youngho looked up from his bowl with interest. “Wait, you were in choir? When? Which one?”

Taeil swallowed a spoonful of spicy broth. “Concert Choir. Last Spring.”

A revelation struck Youngho almost instantly and with a slight tilt of his head, he stated, “You had a solo in the March festival. You sang Stevie Wonder.”

The sensation that caused in Taeil was a perplexing one: his body went cold while his cheeks and ears burned like the sun. Singing was a secret pleasure for him, and the choir was something that his friends wouldn’t seek on their own. Facing someone who knew of his double life was jarring, despite him knowing how talented he was.

“Your hair was different,” Youngho added, still sounding wonderstruck.

Taeil gave an almost imperceptible nod. “Red.”

“Bright red. You were incredible.”

Taeil chuckled lowly into his bowl. “Young _ho_ -”

“You were. In fact, I looked for you after the concert to tell you as much. You disappeared, though.”

“Yeah...I didn’t want to stick around. I love singing, I’m just not big on all the attention afterwards.”

At that, Youngho pouted slightly. “That’s too bad. It’s also probably good that I didn’t find you.”

The pair laughed while Youngho chased half a hardboiled egg with his sticks. “So what other hidden talents are you keeping to yourself?”

“Well, if I tell you, then they’re no longer hidden,” Taeil teased. “Purpose defeated, maybe?”

“No, that just mean ‘your’ secrets are now ‘our’ secrets, that’s all.”

They laughed and talked for a long time about school, their families, Youngho’s life in America and Taeil’s indifference about business (“It just seems like the most sensible option right now.” “That doesn’t sound too fulfilling, Tae.” “I know, I know.”) until the ice in their drinks melted down to tiny pebbles and their food cooled considerably. Between murmured revelations Johnny would plop pieces of tofu into Taeil’s bowl for him to eat. The quiet of their conversation was interrupted by a pointedly excited greeting from a distance.

“Johnny!”

It didn’t even strike Taeil that the person was referring to anyone in their direction until Youngho looked up with a smile. “Jaehyun! Where you here the whole time?”

The man with the side-swept hair and deep dimples dapped Youngho’s closed fist with his own. “Nah, we just got here a few minutes ago. We’re over in the back room.”

“Aw, lucky. That section wasn’t open when we got here. Oh, this is my friend Taeil, by the way. Taeil, my buddy Jaehyun.”

Much like Youngho, Jaehyun was also intimidatingly beautiful with a kind demeanor. He smiled in a way that made them feel as if they’d been friends for ages. “Nice to meet you, Taeil.”

“Same, Jaehyun” he smiled while tipping his head just slightly.

“So who’s ‘we’” Youngho pried.

Jaehyun grinned sheepishly as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his Converse-clad feet. “My lab partner.”

“Of cooourse,” Youngho responded with a teasing glint in his eyes. “Tell Dongyoung I said ‘hello.’”

“Shut it,” warned Jaehyun with zero venom in his voice. “Anyway, I better head back. It was nice meeting you, Taeil. I’ll text you this weekend, Johnny.”

“Cool, see you.”

Jaehyun made he way towards the back of the restaurant, where a dark-haired boy with pristine, angular features smiled at him with a toothy grin. Taeil’s mouth quirked fondly at the sight before remembering something odd and turning towards his own lunchmate.

“I’m sorry…’Johnny?’”

“Yeah,” he confirmed with an almost embarrassed tone. “My American name, actually. Most of my friends call me that.”

The revelation stung in a way that Taeil hadn’t expected. “Oh...well, we’re kinda friends now, right?”

“Definitely.” Any sting he may have felt dissipated with Johnny’s totally unhesitant response. 

“So should I be calling you Johnny, then?”

Youngho shrugged. “You _could_ , but…”

Tail waited for the rest of the sentence, but it didn’t come. “...but?”

It was Youngho’s turn to blush, apparently. “I don’t know...I kind of like the way you call me Youngho? You sort of...You draw out the last syllable a little bit. In a soft way. You sound a little like my parents when you do that, especially when they’re nagging me, which I love. It reminds me of home.”

His words coiled around Taeil heart, making it harder to breathe. He let out a whoosh of air before picking up his sticks again, swishing them around the remnants of floating vegetable bits just for the sake of giving his hands something to do.

“You know,” Taeil started, his voice just above hoarse. “I think it’s customary to have had at least one date before you tell a guy that he reminds you of his parents.”

The boyish laugh that escaped from Youngho only worked to constrict his heart that much more. “You might be right.” There was a pause, as if Youngho was considering his next words very carefully. “So how about this - for propriety’s sake - you call me Johnny until this Saturday.”

“Saturday?”

“After our date,” Youngho responded, his voice confident despite his trembling hand. “The one I want to take you on, that is. I’d count lunch, but we already paid, so…”

The smile that stretched across Taeil’s face was slow and automatic. He would have been just fine continuing a platonic friendship with Youngho. A date, however, was a most welcome turn of events.

“I can’t,” he responded in a low voice.

Youngho’s face dropped. “No?”

Realizing how that sounded, Taeil quickly corrected himself. “I mean, I can’t _this_ Saturday. I already volunteered for the Autumn festival on behalf of the Business school. That’s gonna take up most of my day.”

“Oh!” Youngho only looked mildly relieved by that. “Yeah, I forgot about that.”

“Yeah.” Taeil tapped one of the chopsticks against his dewy glass. “Friday, though. Friday I have no classes, no plans...I’m free all day.”

Youngho gave a smile of his own. Just as slow. Just as automatic. “Even better. Less waiting.”

“Young _ho_.”

He laughed. “See, _that’s_ what I’m talking about. That’s home.”

* * *

  
“You’re cutting that squash way too thick, Taeil. Chef just said it’ll take forever to saute that way.”

“I know what I’m doing, now hush.” Taeil silenced as his cooking partner offered him a slice of marinated cucumber, which he accepted directly from Youngho’s fingers with his teeth.

“You’re the boss,” he relented, returning to his zucchini-slicing duties. “You look cute in that apron, by the way.”

Looking down at his plain white apron, Taeil shook his head. “You’ve said that twice already, and this apron is plainer than plain. You’d think as much as these cooking classes cost, they could afford more interesting aprons.”

Youngho shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You look good.”

Taeil looked up at his date. Coming from him - with his soft hair pushed away from his face and the sleeves of his deco-patterned long sleeve shirt rolled up to reveal more of the softest skin Taeil’s ever felt - the simplest compliments felt monumental. He never considered himself an unattractive man - he’d been assured otherwise from plenty of people over the years - but hearing it from Youngho still felt unreal, even after numerous dates.

He was about to voice his gratitude when a soft voice broke his concentration.

“Taeil-hyung, I thought that was you!”

He turned to find Jungwoo, his neighbor and classmate. “Jungwoo!” He leaned forward to accepted a hug from the blond man, careful not to touch him with his garlicky hands. “Where did you come from?”

“Oh, my boyfriend and I are in the back corner,” Jungwoo explained. He disengaged to nudge his chin towards the corner table, where a young man as tall as Johnny was haphazardly slicing mushrooms. “I saw you slip in and wanted to say hello, but class began before I could. Who’s this?”

“Oh! This is my…” Before Taeil could finish that sentence, a sense of panic washed over him.

What _was_ Youngho to him these days?

They hadn’t discussed it yet. He wasn’t even sure if it was _time_ to talk about such things. They were still getting to know each other, still learning each other’s ways. They’d talked about everything under the sun...everything except their relationship, that is.

“This is my…” Taeil started again, but still couldn’t find the right words. He looked to Youngho, who appeared mildly amused and uninterested in helping him. After three more seconds of awkward silence, Youngho finally put him out of his misery. He stretched his arm across the table for a handshake.

“Hi, I’m Seo Youngho.”

“Kim Jungwoo,” he introduced softly, giving him a smile so genuinely sweet that if Taeil didn’t know him well enough, he’d assume it was flirting. Jungwoo, however, was one of the most naturally amicable people Taeil had ever met. So nice, in fact, that if he thought that Taeil’s earlier fumbling were strange, he didn’t even hint as much.

Taeil quickly took the opportunity to shift the attention elsewhere. “I didn’t know you and Yukhei started dating. That’s awesome!”

The three turned quickly to the man at Jungwoo’s table, whose handsome features where scrunched in evident concentration as he mixed a marinade. He must have felt their gaze from a distance, for he looked up and gave Jungwoo a soft, yet confused grin.

“It’s new,” Jungwoo supplied wistfully. “But it’s good. It’s really good. I don’t know why I was listening to so much bad advice to begin with. I should have dated my best friend sooner.”

“Well, I’m happy it’s working out.”

“For you too, it seems!” Taeil could already feel the blush creeping up his neck, but Jungwoo cut their interaction short before long. “Oh my God, Xuxi seriously just tossed the cloth onto the stove. I better go before he burns this place down. Stop by the apartment this weekend!”

“I will,” Taeil called out to Jungwoo’s quickly retreating frame. He was afraid to turn to Youngho, unsure if he’d find disappointment or teasing, not really ready for either. He eventually turned his way and aside from a small, knowing smile, only received a calm, “I’ll mince a little more garlic for the chicken.”

***

The walk back to Youngho’s car wasn’t necessarily tense, but it was slow, quiet, and crowded with all the things they wanted to say. Taeil’s focus remained on the warm feeling of his fingers loosely intertwined with Youngho’s, their connected hands swinging lazily in the space between them. He loved holding Youngho’s hand and usually a quiet walk meant nothing more than an opportunity to appreciate every sensation that came with the gesture.

This, however, was different. Broaching the subject was hard enough on its own, which is likely why it took them almost two months to get here. Being thrusted into the conversation, however, made things way more difficult.

“So,” Youngho piped up after minutes of pregnant silence. “You kind of short-circuited back there with your friend.”

Taeil let out a forced, rueful chuckle. “Yeah...my communication skills weren’t exactly put to the best use just then.”

“Mm.” A few more seconds to safely cross the road, then, “So what happened? I mean, I think I can guess, but I’d rather -”

“No, this isn’t something to just leave up for interpretation, I get it,” Taeil assured him with a sigh. “It’s just...the past few month have been incredible. Really, I haven’t been happier.”

“Neither have I.”

“And I know that we’ve never really...talked...about what we are, exactly,” Taeil continued carefully. “And I want things to happen naturally for both of us, which is why I haven’t pushed anything. So when Jungwoo asked about you, I realized that … what I wanted to call you and what I thought I _could_ safely call you were two different things.”

He thought he’d feel nervous to put such honesty out there. Instead he felt much lighter and more encouraged as Youngho tightened the hold on his hand.

“So...what you felt like you could call me was - “

“My friend, maybe. But Youngho, let’s be real -”

“‘Friend’ stopped feeling sufficient maybe four dates ago.”

“Right.”

They stopped underneath a street lamp just outside of a closed bank to face each other.

“So you feel it too, right,” Taeil asked, knowing, but still cautious.

Youngho nodded, then placed the bag of boxed leftover at his feet so that he could grab Taeil’s other hand. “Pretend I’m Jungwoo and you had to reintroduce me, this time in the way that you truly wanted. ‘Jungwoo, this is myyyy…”

Taeil looked into Youngho’s eyes and connected with a gaze that contained multitudes: hope and confidence, playfulness and concern, patience and keenness. He felt like he was looking into the eyes of someone who wanted this just as much as he did, and suddenly his nerves evolved into excitement.

“‘Jungwoo, this is myyyy pouty baby of a boyfriend, Youngho.’”

That earned Taeil a pout that did nothing to prove his jokey assertion wrong. “Try again.”

“How about ‘myyyy chronically late, but adorably apologetic boyfriend, Youngho Johnny.’”

“Warmer.”

At that, Youngho pulled Teail a small step closer in order to wrap an arm around his waist. Taeil inhaled his scent - a light mix of citrus and ginger - and felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

“How about,” he said softly, “‘Jungwoo, this is my amazingly sweet, warm, beautiful boyfriend, Youngho?’ Or, for brevity, ‘my Youngho’ works, too, I think.”

The satisfied smile that stretched the width of Youngho’s face shot straight to Taeil’s knees, causing him to clutch his biceps to keep him upright. Taeil felt the overwhelming urge to giggle.

“I like ‘my Youngho’ a lot, actually,” Youngho said, his voice low. “But I’m also partial to ‘my beautiful boyfriend.’ Leaves little room for ambiguity, you know? Tells everyone off the bat that I’m happily spoken for.”

For a second, Taeil didn’t know whether to come back with something witty or kiss his newly minted boyfriend on his plush, waiting lips under the flood of the street lamp and the serenity of the night. He went with the latter.

* * *

  


“I tried to tell you that the chocolate sauce was a bad idea, babe.”

“But it always sounded so _sexy,_ licking chocolate off of each other.”

“Look at this mess, Taeil.”

Still a little breathless, he lifted his head just enough to survey the work of the rogue chocolate as he continued to card his fingers through Youngho’s damp hair. The sheets were a mess, which was expected. The fact that the gooey chocolate had found a way in almost every crevice was not something they had really considered, that chasing runaway chocolate had a quickly diminishing allure when the goal was to lick your partner clean - which is impossible once it gets everywhere.

“Yeah,” Youngho added, following Taeil’s scanning gaze. “It looks like a Candy Land murder scene.”

“It’s not like you were much help either,” Taeil countered softly, but defensive still. “I told you that the whip cream in the aerosol and the tub taste different from each other.”

With a grimace, Youngho agreed. “Yeah, not a fan.”

“I know you aren’t. Whining ‘I can taste the can’ every other minute is decidedly not sexy, baby.”

Youngho bit his bottom lip and reached for the back-up tub of Cool Whip, which still contained swirly remnants of juice from the fresh strawberries. “Well, I’m glad I listened to you regarding the ‘plan B’ whipped cream. That was a good call.”

Taeil repositioned himself so that he was just a little more propped against the headboard. He looked down at his boyfriend, his still-naked body blanketed in the creeping silvery moonlight as he dipped strawberry in the cream and fed it Taeil.

“Mmmm,” Taeil moaned, realizing just how hungry he got after particularly good sex. “The strawberries were a good touch.”

“I told you they would be.”

“You did.”

Youngho fed him another cream-dipped strawberry, this time making a slight mess at the corner of his mouth. The taller man scooted upward until he was straddling Taeil’s frame again, hunched over low enough to kiss the cream away from Taeil’s mouth. After licking it away from his own lips, he proceeded to plant soft, lingering kisses on Taeil’s cheeks, eyelids, chin, and forehead. Taeil breathed in, relishing in a scent that was a cacophony of Youngho’s shampoo, his own sandalwood cologne, chocolate, and melted sugar. He wished he could bottle it as a reminder of how amazing they were together. He’d carry it everywhere, if he could.

When Youngho pulled back to look into his eyes, Taeil felt as if his heart was trying to claw out of the confines of his chest. He would have given him anything he wanted in that moment. Very suddenly, he found that he wanted to give him the world.

Well, maybe it wasn’t that sudden. Since the moment they had met, he’d had more than enough time to find a reason not to fall for the man above him. Seven months later and he was still coming up empty.

Taeil reached up silently to push the fringe out of Youngho’s face. In return, Youngho leaned into his touch and left a tiny kiss on Taeil’s wrist.

“I really love you, Tae.” It’s barely a whisper, yet it echoes so loudly in Taeil’s spirit that he swears his ears are ringing.

With a stuttering exhale, he nodded. “Good. Because I really love you, too.”

* * *

  


For a second, he contemplated just going back to the room. Instead, he hung inside in the tiny doorway leading towards the dining nook and watched his boyfriend eat ice cream from the carton.

On a normal night, Taeil would lecture him about how unsanitary the act was. But he’d done enough lecturing that night. And that lecturing turned into accusations, which turning into yelling, which eventually culminated in their worst fight in two years. Youngho grabbed a pillow and stormed out, taking all of the warmth that had been long imbued in their small room with him.

It took Taeil less than an hour to realize that there was no way he’d be able to sleep soundly in their bed without him.

So he sat up and combed over their argument, taking a moment to try and understand Youngho’s position in a way that was difficult when emotions were high and voices were loud. Setting aside his innate need to protect him from every little indecency that the world had to offer proved to be too difficult at times.

And _maybe_ that came across as knowing what was better for Youngho than Youngho himself. That was never Taeil’s intention, but of course impact outweighed intent ten out of ten times.

There was no resting until this was fixed. Even if that meant watching idly by as the love of his life did disgusting shit like eat communal ice cream directly out of the carton.

Stepping into the space earned him a look up from the man in question. Spoon in his mouth and eyes wide, he looked a thousand times better than an hour ago when his gaze held a rare, angry fire.

They looked at each other silently for a while until Youngho pushed the small chair opposite from him with his foot, reminiscent of the first meal they ever shared. Taeil sat before he could change his mind.

As soon as he parked in the seat, Youngho stood and made his way to their little kitchen, tugging on the utensils draw and pulling out a spoon. Wordlessly, he held it up as a silent offer and waited for Taeil’s nod of acceptance. When he got it, he moved on to the above cupboard and pulled out a bowl knowingly. Once again, he held it up for Taeil. When Taeil declined with a small shake of his head, Youngho reared his head back in surprise. He deposited the dish back into the cupboard and returned to the table, where he handed Taeil his spoon and sat back down without a word.

For a while they just sat, eating butter pecan ice cream out of the carton in heavy silence. A large part of Taeil wished this intimate moment could have happened under lighter circumstances.

After a few slow bites, Taeil cleared his dairy-clogged throat. “I, um...I’m not trying to undermine you or control you, Youngho. I just _care_.”

Youngho twirled his spoon around without scooping up anything. “There are ways to care without speaking over me, Taeil. I don’t need you to fight my battles.”

“I don’t want to fight your battles, babe.”

“Threatening to march down to the office and get into fisticuffs with my boss is the very definition of you fighting my battles.”

“Okay, well…” Taeil stabbed the steadily softening surface of the ice cream. “I don’t know how you expect me to react when you tell me almost daily how much your boss bullies you.”

“So I just shouldn’t tell you anything, is that it?”

“You know that’s not…” Taeil dropped the spoon noisily onto the table and rubbed his eyes, trying to maintain his volume at a level that didn’t invite more yelling. “I just struggle with hearing these things and not wanting to do something about it. What I struggle with more is the idea of you just _taking it_ for so long because that’s so far outside of the man that I’ve come to know.”

Now Youngho donned the expression of a child who had disappointed his parents. It made Taeil’s chest ache.

“You know,” Youngho mumbled. “I can’t just set my boss straight like I would some asshole at a bar. Just like you couldn’t do so with your dick of a boss.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because my boss doesn’t publicly humiliate me like Rhee Joo does you! Youngho, I get that you’re in a competitive industry and I understand that many would kill for the opportunity to work in any part of a record label, let alone as an assistant. But that shouldn’t mean that you should just shoulder that kind of abuse. It affects you, I know it does.”

Dropping his spoon in the tub, Youngho sat back in his chair and crossed his arms protectively. “Taeil...I won’t lie. It sucks. Of course, it sucks. But if I can’t handle a little attitude and embarrassment from a higher up, I’ll never survive this industry. And despite all of Rhee’s crap, I’m easily the most knowledgeable assistant at the label - enough to where they’re starting to give me more responsibility. I’m learning _a lot_. And with so much room to move up the ladder, my chances of getting promoted are so, so high. Could I be treated a little nicer? Of course. But you have to trust that I know what I’m doing. I need you to believe that I’m smart enough to know when to say when.”

“Of course I know you’re smart.” Taeil chewed on his bottom lip as he processed. “I guess I have a hard time understanding why you have to stay at _this_ label. Theoretically, if you’re good enough for one of the biggest labels in the country, than you should have no problem heading to a nicer place, right?”

“It’s not a job in retail, I can’t just switch locations. This is the place that saw potential in me and there’s no guarantee that I’ll find that anywhere else. Tae, do you know what a promotion for me could mean for us? Whenever I fantasize about our future, I’m always taking care of you in the way that you deserve. This is the key to all of that. I can’t just quit.”

While Taeil would never understand the will to remain under the thumb of such vile leadership, he was sympathetic towards the need to do whatever it takes to take care of your partner. That need is what got him up in the morning, what drove him to the small, stuffy marketing firm doing less-than-glamorous work around mildly miserable people. Yes, it was different, but it was still a testament to how much he loved the man he was with. That was something he could always understand.

He stood and walked to the other side of the table until he was standing next to Youngho’s seat.

“Scoot back,” he commanded under his breath. Youngho complied and as soon as he was far enough away from the table, Taeil straddled his lap. Facing him this closely made him realize how much he missed his touch, and the sigh from his partners lips assured him that he was missed as well. Resting his hands on the side of Youngho’s neck, he planted a tiny kiss on his forehead.

“If the choice ever comes down to me living comfortably while someone treats you like shit or living in a hovel while you receive the respect you deserve, I’m choosing the hovel every time.”

Youngho’s hands came up to caress Taeil’s sides. “But that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m going to get to a point where we’re financially okay _and_ I’d have a name for myself. No idiot bosses, no shitty meetings -”

“I know you will,” Taeil interjected firmly. “It’s just getting to that point...is tough.”

“But if that’s what I’ve gotta do … Tae, it’s my job to take care of you.”

“Newsflash, Youngho: it’s my job to take care of you, too,” Taeil countered softly. “That’s why I’m ready to drive down there - “

“Babe,” Youngho warned, the exasperation surfacing in his tone.

Taeil held up a hand of surrender. “But I won’t, and you know I won’t. I’ll hang back and let you handle it however you see fit.”

Youngho exhaled. “Thank you.”

“And I want you to keep talking to me,” Taeil pressed on. “I know that’s part of how you cope with it. And I can handle it, I promise.”

With a small smile, Youngho asked, “Can you promise me something else? Can you promise me that you’ll tell me if your job gets to be too much, as well?”

The quick subject pivot took Taeil aback. “Me?”

“Don’t think I don’t notice,” Youngho said with a knowing look. “You radiate stress every day when you come home. Sunday evenings you look like you're preparing for your death march. You _hate_ your office -”

“That’s just standard office life.”

“Who says?” Youngho dipped his head to catch Taeil’s eyes more resolutely. “Being miserable should not be a natural part of your life. But I’m going to assume that you know your threshold and that you’ll tell me when you’ve reached it. You promise?”

Taeil nearly melted at the look of genuine concern in Youngho’s eyes. He turned and grabbed the ice cream, picking up the spoon that was quickly submerging in the creamy confection like quicksand. Taeil dug for a solid chunk of cream, scooped it, and brought it to Youngho’s lips.

“I promise,” he assured him as Youngho closed his mouth around the spoon.

“And you’ll promise you’ll use your very best judgment?”

“I always use my best judgment.”

“Hmph,” Taeil grunted, not totally convinced. “If that were true, we’d be eating cookies & cream ice cream and not butter pecan.”

Youngho snorted. “Then I guess that means you’ll stop eating it, then.”

“Well, I didn’t say all that.”

* * *

“I have a proposal.”

Youngho popped his freshly washed face out of the suite bathroom, laughing. “ _Another_ proposal? Could it possibly be better than the last one?”

Taeil smiled wide as he indulged in the sight of Youngho’s large frame crowding the small doorway. Logically, he knew the idea of someone looking different after only eight hours of wedded bliss was silly. Still, the way they looked at each other now - like they just learned that the entire solar system actually rested in the person they had just promised to grow old with - felt as new as it felt unreal.

“I guess that depends on you,” Taeil finally responded dreamily.

“I’m skeptical, but tell me anyway.” Youngho grabbed the tux hanging from the bathroom knob and laid it over the arm of a nearby chair before sitting on the bed. Leaning over to open the neighboring fridge, Teil grabbed a small, but hefty foil-covered dish. He placed it in his lap and carefully peeled back the covering to reveal a round, simply decorated cake top.

“Let’s just eat it now,” Taeil suggested, his tone almost daring.

Youngho’s eyes rounded instantly. “What are you doing?! I thought your mom was going to hang onto it for us while we went on our honeymoon.”

“She was, but then I remembered that you barely got a slice of your own cake. And remember what Jaehyun and Dongyoung said? It’s not worth it.”

“That’s probably because they didn’t wrap it properly, like the baker told us to,” Youngho retorted. “Remember the steps she showed us?”

“Yes I do. Are either of us going to actually do it?”

That, Youngho found, was tough to argue. Taeil’s forgetfulness and his occasional laziness didn’t bode well for the cake at all. “What about tradition?”

“I don’t automatically subscribe to traditions I had no hand in making, you know that,” Taeil said simply, rising to grab two plastic forks from the stash of wrapped leftover catering. “I would never make up a tradition that included ignoring nearby cake for a year.”

He handed a fork to his new husband, who hesitated before taking it. “So then what are we going to do for our one year anniversary?”

Taeil unwrapped his fork and shrugged. “We’ll buy a bottle of wine while we’re in Macau and save it for next year. We’ll even get little cupcake versions of this cake from the same baker. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to overcharge us again.”

“Well, Jennie can afford to. She’s the best.”

“True,” Taeil agreed readily as he dug a fork into the side of the cake and tore away a large piece. “Which is why it would be a shame if you had to wait a whooole year to enjoy her handy work.”

He offered it to Youngho, who accepted the bite and sighed around the amaretto-flavored moresel. “This still doesn’t beat your last proposal,” he asserted before attacking the cake with his own fork. He grabbed Taeil’s hand with his unoccupied one and placed a trio of reverent kisses on his knuckles. “Nevertheless, it’s a damn good idea.” 

  


* * *

Taeil nearly drops the hot skillet back onto the stove when he feels a pair of long arms wrap around his waist and the softest lips just below his left ear. When he’s temple-to-temple with Youngho, he can feel the wire arm of his glasses pressed just at the ridge of his cheek.

“I can never get the pancake the perfect golden color like you do,” Youngho observed breathily. Taeil grabbed onto Youngho’s forearms as he continued to shake the cake around the skillet.

“That’s because you always make the stove too hot,” Taeil said. “And that’s if you’re using a good stove. The ones in those terrible AirBnBs you insist on staying in usually barely work.”

“Mm. True.”

“Why don’t you ever just stay in nicer places, Youngho? You know the label will cover whatever you ask for with no fight at all?”

Youngho began to nibble on the shell of his ear, stilling Taeil’s motions entirely. “Staying in those nice places without you is a waste of money. If I’m not working, I’m on the phone with you. I barely notice my surroundings the rest of the time.”

Taeil sighed. If he had to travel as much as Youngho did, he’d make the company spring for the nicest accommodations every once in a while. Even though his husband kept his trips as short as possible, he still spent more time out of town than at home. Occasionally he got to accompany him, but those opportunities were few and far between. It was a strain at first, receiving such a demanding promotion mere months after their wedding. But they used their time together to work on their communication and maximize the moments when they shared the same space. Taeil kept his spirits up by sharing weekly meals with Jungwoo and Yukhei, who lived only a block away.

This month, however, was a nice rarity: he’d just come back from a two-day trip in New York City, and he had no plans to leave again for another 23 days. Taeil planned on making every day special, starting with his favorite scallion pancakes

“You even cut the onions the way I like,” Youngho pointed out with a glee that seemed uncharacteristic of a label executive. He’d seen the world. Chopped onions shouldn’t excite him this much.

“Of course,” Taeil mumbled as he reached over and tore a piece of one of the finished pancakes, then fed it to Youngho over his shoulder. Youngho happily closed his mouth around Taeil’s fingertips, careful to sweep his tongue over the pads for any possible wayward crumbs.

“God, I missed you,” he gushed around his mouthful.

Taeil’s eyebrows dipped with confusion. “Are you talking to me or the pajeon?”

“Both, but you moreso.”

“I’ll take that.” Taeil flipped the cake over, then adjusted the heat. “Maybe I’ll make a batch for you to take on your next trip.”

“Actually…” Youngho stepped back and gently spun Taeil around. “About that. That trip...I’m not sure that I’m going on that just yet.”

Blinking owlishly, Taeil remained quiet until Youngho continued.

“So, that rumor I told you about last week? The one about Jongin possibly leaving?”

“Yeah?”

“Less of a rumor. His last day is in ten days. He broke the news this afternoon.”

Taeil gripped his shoulders without thought. “Are you serious? Okay, first of all, how are you doing? Losing your closest friend in the office has to be -”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Youngho assured him, waving off his concern. “He’s leaving for a good opportunity. He’d be a fool not to take it. I’m happy for him.”

“So that means … Are you going for his position?”

In-house artist development had been Youngho’s true passion from the start. He’d had many great opportunities during his tenure at Neo Entertainment, but working more closely and more long-term with the artists was something that he long prized over recruitment. 

“I don’t have to go for anything,” Youngho said with a smile. “They offered it to me today. But I wanted to run it by you first.”

"What the hell is there to run by me?!” Taeil near-shrieked. “Young _ho_ , this is what you’ve been wanting since you interned at Neo! I’m so thrilled for you!” With that, he kissed his husband firmly on the lips, the spatula clanging to the floor. Youngho responded enthusiastically before breaking the kiss.

“Babe, listen. This means a slight, very temporary pay cut, which I know sounds scary considering that you just left the firm. But I promise, I ran the numbers with Kun, and we’d be totally fine. Just a few minor cutbacks that we’ll barely notice for the first nine months or so.”

“So we don’t go to the movies as much and we make bibimbap at home,” Taeil reasoned before planting another kiss on him, this time making sure to part his lips for Youngho’s tongue. Youngho looped an arm around Taeil and lifted him onto the counter. Taeil instantly parted his legs so that Youngho could stand closer. Once he stepped in his negative space, Taeil hooked his ankles at the small of his back.

Their lips locked passionately over and over again, licking into each other until the need to breathe overtook them. Youngho broke away to ghost his lips over he favorite part of Taeil’s body.

“That means I’d be home more,” Youngho mumbled into the skin of Taeil’s clavicle. “I’ll have a few late nights here and there, but I’ll be _here_ and you can always come with me to the studio.” He trailed kisses up his neck, towards his earlobe.

“Mmmm,” Taeil moaned favorably. “That sounds amazing.”

“Maybe,” Youngho breathed into his ear as he raked a hand through Taeil’s dark brown hair. “Maybe you can even work with some of the young artists. Get their voices to your level.”

At that, Taeil laughed until Youngho gave his thighs a teasing squeeze. “Baby, you know I’m not a certified vocal coach.”

“And yet you sing better than all of our coaches combined.”

“You’re biased.”

“Among other things,” he countered, skimming the front of Taeil’s boxer briefs with his palm. With a hiss, Taeil tugged on Youngho’s hair until they were eye-to-eye again.

“I’m so proud of you,” Taeil said huskily. “And I need you. Right now.”

Youngho groaned and attacked Taeil’s lips once more, only to be interrupted by the distinct smell of burning onions and pancake batter.

Their lips parted with an alarming _smack_. “Baby, BABY, the food, the food,” Youngho warned before quickly leaning forward to turn off the stove and remove the skillet. The charred pancake sizzled angrily as he rushed the smoking pan to the sink and smothered the mess with water.

“A distraction,” Taeil marveled. “You, Seo Youngho, are a total distraction.”

Youngho wiped his brow with an embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh no, it’s way too late for sorries.” Taeil hopped off the counter and grabbed the small stack of perfect pancakes before sauntering past a surprised Youngho. “Now come to the bedroom so that I can punish you properly.”

* * *

  


The sandwich looked unassuming, but Taeil and Youngho knew better.

They sat on one side of the plate, eyeing it suspiciously while their son sat on the other, looking prouder than he’s ever looked in his five short years of living.

“Donghyuck, buddy, when did you make this,” Youngho asked curiously, refusing to remove his eyes from the plate.

“While you were in the shower and Papa was on the phone with his client,” the boy answered simply with the purist of smiles. “You both said you were hungry.”

Taeil tried not to look too rueful as to not upset the child. He was sure that Donghyuck was napping in his room when he took a quick marketing consultation over the phone.

“Sweetie, you know you’re not supposed to do anything in the kitchen without Daddy or Papa’s permission.”

“But you were both starving,” the boy whined. “You always make me food when I’m hungry!”

“Yeah, because that’s our job,” Youngho told him firmly. “This is very kind of you, but you could have hurt yourself, you understand?”

“Yeees,” Donghyuck replied, ducking his head with a pout. “Am I in trouble?”

Youngho sighed and shook his head. “Not this time. But can you tell us what kind of sandwich this is?”

The question perked Donghyuck up instantly. “It’s my secret recipe. It’s called The Hyuckie Surprise.”

“That’s cute, but we’re gonna need a little more information than that,” Taeil said. “What did you make it with?”

Sighing, the boy conceded. “You promise to keep this between us?”

“We absolutely promise,” Youngho agreed, visibly trying not to laugh.

“Okay,” the raven-haired boy said, then held up five fingers as he ticked an ingredient off of each finger. “Peanut butter, ham, worms -”

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Youngho interrupted while leaning forward. “Are we talking real worms or gummy worms?”

“Either would be concerning,” Taeil added. “We haven’t bought gummy worms in months.”

“I found some in my play desk!”

“Oh good,” Taeil said weakly while a shaking, snickering Youngho hid his face behind his husband’s back. “What else, Hyuckie?”

“Oh! Daddy’s favorite bean sprouts and Papa’s fancy mustard from Amperlamb.”

“Amsterdam,” Taeil corrected as he began to rub his temple.

“There, too,” Donghyuck acknowledge with a nod. “It’s all of our favorite things! Plus ham for Coco.”

The mention of their dog caused Youngho to bolt upright. “Son, you cannot feed this to Coco.”

Donghyuck groaned. “I knoooow. I don’t _want_ to feed it to Coco, I just wanted him to be a part of our family’s very special sandwich that I made.”

The sentiment, Taeil could admit, was incredibly sweet, and it was very hard to be upset in the face of such hope and obvious love. When he looked to his husband, he noticed how soft the notion made him as well.

“This was incredibly thoughtful of you,” Taeil told the boy with all sincerity.

“I know,” Donghyuck responded, both his eyes and smile wide. “Eat it.”

Taeil wasn’t sure what to say, so he turned to Youngho as a silent plea for help. To his chagrin, Youngho looked just as lost for a solution. Eating this very disgusting symbol of love just wasn’t an option. Breaking their son’s heart wasn’t one, either.

“Um,” Youngho began, but stopped when he heard the clear ring of his phone cutting through the air.

“Oh _nooooo_ ,” Youngho moaned theatrically. “That’s the office!” Within seconds he was on his feet.

“Let it go to voicemail, babe,” Taeil instructed sternly.

Youngho shook his head. “Oh, you know I can’t do that. Not with Renjun’s showcase in two days, I’ve gotta take it. But I’m going to leave you and Hyuckie here to it - “

“Don’t you dare.”

“And I hope you save me a bite, but would totally understand if you wanted to hog all this goodness for yourself.” Youngho ruffled his son’s hair and grabbed Taeil’s face.

“I love you so, so much,” he mumbled against Taeil’s lips before giving him a quick kiss. “You’re a genius, you’ll figure it out. Prepare for the massage of your life tonight.”

His long legs carried him out of the room in seconds, leaving Taeil to nervously smile at his adoring son and the worst, greatest sandwich in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> *Hides under a burrow of blankets while humming Welcome to my Playground*


End file.
